Mendez TribuTe MonuMenT Park

The Mendez Historic Freedom Trail and Monument was officially unveiled on December 1, 2022, featuring the larger-than-life statues of the key figures in one of the most historically significant civil rights cases in the nation’s history.

The monument tells the story of the landmark Mendez vs. Westminster case, which led to the end of segregated schools in California and laid the groundwork for the Brown vs. Board of Education case seven years later, making segregated schools illegal throughout the nation.

The artist said he was honored to be selected to create the sculptures for the Mendez memorial.

“There is a lot of history behind all this,” said Gomez, who grew up in Boyle Heights in Los Angeles. “People don’t know about this case.”

Along with the statues, a series of interactive panels, photographs, and statues are included in the freedom trail and monument to pay homage to the case and the Mendez family. The memorial employs an augmented reality feature that will allow visitors to log on with a smart phone as they view several interpretive panels. Visitors can view photos and taped interviews that correspond with each panel.

“It’s essentially a guided tour,” Westminster City Manager Christine Cordon said.

The Freedom Trail will go on for two miles along Hoover Street and feature interactive signage along the route, describing the history of the case.

Bronze statues of Gonzalo and Felicita Mendez are positioned on one pedestal. Felicita stands in front, her arms at her waist, holding a court dossier with the words “Mendez vs. Westminster, 1947” inscribed on the front. Gonzalo stands behind and slightly to the left of his wife, his hands on her shoulders. Both are smiling.

“I wanted for sure to have them together as a couple, making physical contact and then Mrs. Mendez holding that book to document the fact that the book and 1947 symbolizes the case,” said artist Ignacio Gomez, who sculpted the statues. “I wanted them to be seen with a smile so that they are happy about what they accomplished.”

Sculptures of a boy and girl holding hands, smiling, and walking to school are mounted on the second pedestal. The girl is clutching a book with the word “College” inscribed on it. The children are not meant to depict the Mendez children specifically, Gomez said, but represent all non-white children who were now allowed to attend schools formerly reserved for white students.

Gomez also sculpted the Cesar Chavez Memorial statue in downtown Riverside, which stands as a monument to the American farm worker, civil rights activist, and labor leader Cesar Chavez.

Several years ago, then-Westminster City Councilman Sergio Contreras had envisioned a monument as a way to memorialize and commemorate the Mendez case. The City partnered with the Orange County Department of Education on the project and, in 2017, the City was awarded a $1.4 million grant from the California Department of Parks and Recreation which enabled project organizers to construct a nicer memorial than what was originally imagined.

Students came up with the idea of incorporating augmented reality.

Sylvia Mendez, daughter of Gonzalo and Felicita Mendez, was also involved in the process. The Orange County Department of Education set up a studio for Sylvia to film interviews and researched much of the history which was then scripted on the panels.